Ecstatic kirtan at Times Square (4 min. video)
HH Radhanath Swami leads the Kirtan at Times Square, New York, accompanied by a...

My wife showed an equal disinterest in religious matters. Although she would attend religious functions held in her village, her main purpose was to entertain herself with some singing and dancing that's all. But one day, in 2008, she met an ISKCON devotee who hailed from our village. This devotee was trying to establish Krishna consciousness here, and my wife was very much influenced by him. She immediately adopted the devotional principles whole heartedly and repeatedly urged me to take up too. Continue reading "She Won, I Lost!
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When Lord Caitanya finished His instructions to Srila Sanatana Goswami, Sanatana, being empowered and enlightened, was so transcendentally pleased that he at once fell at the feet of Lord Caitanya and said: "I am born of a very low family, and I have always associated with lowly people; therefore I am the lowest of sinners. Yet You are so kind that You have taught me lessons which are not even understood by Lord Brahma, the greatest being in this universe. Continue reading "The four headed Brahma’s diminutive intelligence Vs Srila Sanatana Goswami’s first class humility
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Bhaktivinoda Thakura describes the six practices of those serious about dedicating their lives to Krishna: accepting things favorable to devotional service, rejecting things unfavorable to devotional service, accepting that Krishna is our only maintainer, accepting that Krishna is our only protector, developing a deep sense of humility, and fully giving ourselves for the purpose of guru and Krishna. Continue reading "“Surrender Unto Me”—Krishna’s Loving Invitation
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Podcast

Transcription :

Transcriber: Sharan

Question: How can we deal with life’s dualities?

Answer: Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita 5.20:

na praharsyet priyam prapya, na udvijet prapya ca apriyam
sthira-buddhih asammudhah, brahma-vit brahmani sthitah

(A person who neither rejoices upon achieving something pleasant nor laments upon obtaining something unpleasant, who is self-intelligent, who is not bewildered, and who knows the science of God is already situated in transcendence)

Do not become elated when there is happiness and do not become dejected when there is distress.

It is interesting to note that Krishna is not saying – do not feel happiness or distress. Distress and happiness will come, and one will have to experience those. Sometimes good and sometimes bad will happen. We cannot blind ourselves to this material reality, but we should not become elated in happiness and should not become dejected in distress. We can do so by not denying the duality but by focusing on the spiritual reality or supreme brahman.

Ultimately, the supreme brahman is Krishna. When we study spiritual knowledge and practise bhakti-yoga, we start connecting with Krishna. Metaphorically speaking, we can consider connection and absorption in Krishna as a five-million-dollar gain. Let me explain.

Consider a man is walking on a road to meet his ancestor, who has passed down five million dollars to him in inheritance. The condition is that he has to reach there within a particular time or else the money will be given to the government. While walking down the road, this man finds a five-dollar bill which he tries to pick up. But as soon as he tries to do that, the bill starts flying away in a different direction. The more he tries, the farther it flies. If the man keeps chasing the five-dollar bill then he will lose the five-million-dollar inheritance. In a slightly different situation, consider the same man walking down the road already having a five-dollar bill in his pocket. Suddenly a thief comes and grabs that five-dollar bill but is luckily stopped by the man. If this man gets busy arguing and fighting with the thief, again he may lose the five-million-dollar inheritance.

Similarly, for us, life’s pleasures are like the five-dollar gain and life’s distresses are like the five-dollar loss. However, our devotion and absorption in Krishna is like the five-million-dollar gain.

Bhagavad-gita 6.22 says:
yam labdhva ca aparam labham, manyate na adhikam tataḥ
yasmin sthito na duḥkhena, guruṇapi vicalyate

(Upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty)

About 20-25 years ago when I was introduced to bhakti-yoga, this verse really inspired me very much to focus on Krishna consciousness.

This is the state of spiritual absorption and its characteristic is that if you achieve it, you will not long for anything else. Achieving this will free you from craving for anything more and even if great distress comes, it will not disturb. It will free you from lamentation.

There may be many things important to us but the underlying question we forget to ask ourselves is,
“Is there anything, after achieving which, we will not crave or lament for anything?”

We might become the wealthiest person in the whole world, have our dream job, our dream home etc. but will it free us from craving for more? It won’t.

It is not that pursuing or achieving material things is wrong, but we need to do such endeavour in the right proportion. If we are too consumed by these things, then we may end up like the man who lost his well-deserved five-million-dollar gain. Spiritually speaking, Krishna Consciousness is like that five-million-dollar gain. When we become conscious of Krishna, we will be free from craving and lamenting.

The five-dollar bill is not worthless but compared to five million dollars, it is insignificant. Thus, by keeping things in perspective, we can deal with life’s dualities with equanimity. Although good and bad things have happened and will continue to happen, we still keep moving towards Krishna. By such focus, we will be able to transcend duality.

End of transcription.

The post How can we deal with life’s dualities? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

JUN 2019 ISSUE OF THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR THE COMMUNITY OF ISKCON NEW GOVARDHANA (KRISHNA FARM)

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 24 February 2019, New York, United States of America, Bhagavad-gita 7.7)

We can see how everything is connected with Krsna. We can see that Krsna is the seed of all existence. We can see that Krsna is present everywhere. Just like it is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita by Krsna Himself – raso aham apsu kaunteya; I am the taste of water. Prabhasmi sasi suryayo; I am the light of the sun and the moon. Pranavah sarva-vedesu; I am the syllable om in the Vedic mantras. Sabdah khe paurusam nrsu; I am the sound in ether and also the ability in man (Bhagavad-gita 7.8).

So everywhere Krsna is present, everywhere. It is not that we have to artificially try to be Krsna conscious while being busy with all this material energy, doing so many things everyday, and then somehow or other fix our mind on that form of the Supreme Lord; realising how difficult it is because we are busy from Monday to Friday and then the weekend comes along and we always have so many things on your mind and then we think to ourself – “How will I think of Krsna when there are so many other things going on around me?“. But then we must see how everything around us is connected with Krsna, everything. Everything is simply the energy of Krsna and Krsna is the origin of everything. Therefore sutre mana-gana iva (Bhagavad-gita 7.7); He is behind everything and He is the thread that connects everything.

The article " Krsna is everywhere! " was published on KKSBlog.

Creation, maintenance, and destruction in the course of time are not features of the spiritual nature. The Upanishads say that before the creation there was no Brahma and no Siva, no sun, stars, or sky. There was only Vishnu, His expansions, and the pure souls who have no desire for a life separate from Him. With only Vishnu, and no Siva or Brahma, there is only maintenance, with no creation or destruction. Time exists in the spiritual nature without its destructive side, and without the type of creative side that is merely destruction’s necessary counterpart. And yet the spiritual nature is said to be full of activity, more so than its material reflection. Lord Vishnu and His devotee servants expand spiritually there to enrich, vary, and perpetually increase the pastimes of blissful loving devotion. Continue reading "Time and Again
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Podcast

Transcription :

Transcriber: Sharan

Question: How can we deal with angry people?

Answer: When dealing with angry people, we need to understand two underlying motivations for anger: (i) is it due to person’s weakness or (ii) is it due to person’s wickedness.
Weakness is something that we all have. When there is an urge to become angry, it empowers us, due to which we do something that we later regret. When anger is due to weakness, we apologise, feel bad about it and acknowledge it was wrong.

We have our conscience and intelligence. Conscience tells us in an emotional way that we should not be angry because later we will feel guilty. Intelligence tells us in a rational way as to why we should not be angry. These are two inner checks that stop us from acting angrily. However, due to wickedness, the conscience is muted and instead of controlling the anger the intelligence is controlled by the anger.

Weakness makes us hot-headed whereas wickedness makes us cold-blooded. When a person is cold-blooded, he makes a systematic diabolic plan to hurt the other person in the most painful way. Anger is basically like a hot emotion whereas hatred is cold, manipulative and calculative. Generally, most people around us are not wicked. The range may vary from weakness being the most common and wickedness being exceptions.

To give forgiveness to wicked is foolishness. What will happen if a group of terrorists, who are on a rampage killing innocent people beg for forgiveness when ambushed by police and the police forgives them? Terrorists will ultimately kill the policemen mercilessly. When somebody is at the extreme edge of wickedness, then strong action has to be taken against them. A wicked person may not even feel any wrongdoing. We need to maintain a safe distance from such people. If needed, we should take strong action against them.

On a routine basis, if we see people getting angry, best is to help them deal with their anger. We can do so by (i) separating the person from their problematic behaviour (ii) avoid labelling them e.g. “short-tempered”, “hot-headed” etc. If we label them, we reduce them to their problematic behaviour. Eventually, we and they end up being an antagonist and consider ourselves a victim who has to hit back at his aggressor.

At a practical level, we may have to deal with it in an appropriate way but internally we see the person separate from their anartha. One way of dealing would be to know the triggers of the other person and try as much as possible avoiding those triggers. When we drive on a road for the first time, we may be jolted by an unnoticed speed bump. However, next time, we will drive carefully on the same road and will be able to avoid the bump. Once bitten twice shy.

Similarly, when we observe people and try to understand what triggers anger in them, it will help us avoid doing anything that will provoke them. We all have willpower, but that willpower is a finite resource. Sometimes when stressful, people may have ten things going on in their head that will frustrate them. If not communicated properly, this anger could be unnecessarily vented out on something trivial. If such people share a bond with us where they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, this would help. We should spend time with them periodically which will minimise the instances of them getting angry.

We can help people manage their triggers better. Everybody has things which set them off. We should make sure that we do not become a trigger for them. If they are very close to getting triggered, we help them come off the cliff and not push them further down the cliff.

Generally, words spoken in anger should not be taken seriously. We do not have to hold it against the other person for their entire life.

In the Ramayana, when Lord Rama was chasing a demon disguised as golden deer and shot it down, the demon before dying imitated Rama’s voice and called out to Lakshmana and Sita for help. On hearing the call, mother Sita became overwhelmed with anxiety and agony. However, Lakshmana remained unperturbed and reassured Sita that the voice is not Rama’s. But Sita did not feel reassured. Instead, she felt agitated Lakshmana’s response. Fearing that Rama might be in danger, she urged and begged Lakshmana to go for Rama’s help. On seeing him unmoved, in a frenzy of anxiety, she accused him of having ill intentions towards her and that he wants to enjoy her in the absence of Rama and was waiting for such an opportunity. Sita’s words cut Lakshmana deeper than had the sharpest arrows of the fiercest demons in the toughest of the battles he had fought. He had always venerated Sita like his mother. However, there is no mention in the Ramayana that when Sita was rescued back, Lakshmana held those words against her. He did not tell her, “See, I had told you it was a demon. How dare you speak like that to me? Now apologise.” The point is, “do not see intention in what is spoken in tension”.

Unfortunately, sometimes situations bring out the worst in us but just like we would want others to look through us, understand us and not hold anything against us, similarly we should not hold the other person’s words against them when they have an emotional outburst. However, if a person is habitually angry, aggressive or violent then we need to create some distance. We can help such a person when they at least acknowledge that they have an issue and needs correction. However, if the person thinks they do not need any help then it is better to maintain some distance. Maybe they will learn when the consequences of their actions hit them. It is painful but that is what we may have to do.
To conclude, we can deal with people who are angry by (i) understanding their trigger and making sure we do not trigger them (ii) see them as separate from their problematic behaviour and help them as much as we can (iii) when there is weakness and someone succumbs to it, do not see the intention in what is spoken in tension. However, if someone has wickedness, we should maintain a distance and protect ourselves.

End of transcription.

The post How can we deal with angry people? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Lil’ Krishna Kidz is a spiritual enrichment program that offers Krishna Conscious teaching and activities to kids in a fun-filled atmosphere.

London Rathayatra Festival 16th June 2019We are looking for volunteers to help cook the greatest feast ever for the pleasure of Lord Jagannath and his devotees. Volunteers are needed all day Saturday chopping veg and all night cooking Saturday night/ Sunday morning.
There is a special gift for all those who help, Srila Prabhupada’s blessings!

The Narada Purana (uttara kanda 52.12) reveals the conversation between Lord Narayana and Lakshmidevi about Purushottama kshetra (Jagannatha Puri),

pratimam tatra tam drstva svayam devena nirmitam
anayasena vai yanti bhavanam me tato narau

“A person who sees the Deities there built by the Lord Himself will easily find the path to reach My abode.” Anyone seeing the Deities of Lord Krshna, Balarama and Subhadra at Jagannatha Puri during their leisure outage of Rathayatra means buying a ticket to reach the Supreme Abode of Vaikuntha, the eternal world of no worries.

Rathe ca vamanam drstva punar janma na vidyate.

“Simply by seeing the Lord on the chariot, one makes advancement for stopping the repetition of birth and death.”

It is said that the participants in Rath Yatra will be blessed immensely by Lord Jagannatha (Krishna) such as
(1) By the sight of Jagannatha’s merciful large two eye globes, the devotee will be blessed with astute purity of mind and spiritual elevation;
(2) Observing the Rathayatra will dissipate the sins committed by the embodied person in the past births;
(3) The accompanying person in the Rathayatra will receive opulence at par with Lord Vishnu even if he hails from a poor family;
(4) Dancing, singing and chanting in the Ratharatra entourage, the participant will be elevated to a level superior to yogis; and
(5) Active participation in the Rathayatra by any means will receive the utmost blessings of Lord Jagannatha

1973This was a special year because the Rathayatra was attended by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada Founder Acharya of ISKCON. Although Srila Prabhupada was 74 years of age, he chanted and danced throughout the entire procession. He ignored the elegant seat on the chariot, which was offered to him, much to the delight of the assembled devotees. This festival was Srila Prabhupada’s triumphant moment looking out at thousands of people chanting the Holy name in Trafalgar Square. This festival was organised by the young Maha Vishnu Swami who donated £10,000 pounds left to him in a will to make this an extraordinary festival with publicity on public buses and a feature film made. The Police commentated “this was the most delightful of public displays that they had ever seen, everyone was perfectly mannered”. The next day front page headlines of the Guardian newspaper read “ISKCON Rathayatha is rival to Nelson’s column”. Srila Prabhupada writes in Caitanya Caritamrita. “Just as the residents of Puri compared the Rathayatra cart to Mount Sumeru, the residents of London considered the cart rival to the Nelson Monument.”

Your servant Parasuram das

ISKCON Budapest: The most beautiful? (Album of photos)
Adikarta Das: In my opinion is one of the most beautiful temples in ISK...

"People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it's the other way around.”

Dnipro is one of the main cities in Ukraine. Indradyumna Swami and his group arrived just in time for the local temple's celebration of Nrsimha Caturdasi and next day's Ratha Yatra. A thousand devotees attended both programs.There are over 10,000 devotees in Ukraine. It is a paradise for those sharing Krsna consciousness.

We Owe a Spiritual Debt to His Grace Pusta Krishna Prabhu

Devoted Cowherds

New Veg Restaurant in Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital and largest city (Album of photos)

What is KRISHNA VILLAGE?
Aindavi devi dasi: Have you ever wondered what actually happens in Krishna Village? Recently I found out directly from New Govardhana’s director himself, Ajita dasa. He explained Krishna Village’s relationship with the burgeoning curiosity about spirituality and ecological accountability in society.

Our "Paramahamster" comic strip follows an enthusiastic devotee as he navigates a 9 - 5 work day in the corporate world. Please check back weekly for new episodes!

Day Two of the European Communications Conference began with a very relevant and hard-hitting talk by Willy Fautre of Human Rights Without Frontiers. Next was an enlivening discussion where ISKCON leaders from across Europe and the US shared their experiences of using advocacy, engaging with politicians and examples of when this has been successful.

Podcast

Transcription :

Transcriber: Sharan

Question: How can we become determined like Hanuman?

Answer: We usually hear people say that they have no determination. For example, some are alcoholic and have no determination to give up alcohol. However, the funny part is they have determination to keep drinking alcohol. Some say they have no determination to wake up in the morning but interestingly they have determination to keep sleeping. Everyone is trying to wake them up, calling them lazy, giving dark looks but still they are determined to keep sleeping. It is not that they have no determination, it is just that the determination is misguided. Everybody has determination but, in most cases, it is not directed.

Determination means concentrated desires directed constructively. We all have desires but to stay focused on something the desires need to be concentrated.

When someone say they have set hundred goals for the month, mostly those are not goals, but a wish list. There maybe many things that we want to do but need to focus on the most important ones to achieve them. If we focus on too many things at once, then determination gets dissipated. Once we prioritize and decide, we need to plan and follow a process to achieve our goals.
Setting achievable daily goals and meeting them consistently while also raising the bar periodically also helps us build our determination steadily.

Determination is like muscles. When we lift weights, the muscles become stronger and we can lift more weights. That is why, we should start with whatever determination we have and eventually it will grow.

It is said that Hanuman is buddhi matam varishtam – he is the best among wise people. Although Hanuman had a very strong desire to serve Lord Rama, he used his intelligence to direct the desire properly.

End of transcription.

The post How can we become determined like Hanuman? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Do you love your body? Should you love your body? Whose body do you love? Has society been hit with a dose of body fever?

Maddened by the waves of body consciousness, the fever is rising. Urban monk and international Bhakti teacher and speaker Devamrita Swami will strip bare the facts with a dose of cooling yoga wisdom to combat the heat!

Travelling the globe for 50 years, visiting every habitable continent to share and teach the wisdom of higher-happiness principles and practice, Devamrita Swami describes himself in one interview as “a talent scout”: “I’m looking for persons who want to go beyond the hum-drum. [..] To go deep within and uncover what is real happiness, beyond the body and mind”.

Listen to a recent interview with Devamrita Swami here: https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/melbourneweekends/devamrita-swami/10933982

Don’t miss this special and exciting opportunity to cross paths with a monk! We hope to see you there!

Book now on our website. $10 includes talk and dinner and dessert.

See you there!

The post Body Fever: Learning to Love My Body? With Devamrita Swami appeared first on Bhakti Lounge.

Do you love your body? Should you love your body? Whose body do you love? Has society been hit with a dose of body fever?

Maddened by the waves of body consciousness, the fever is rising. Urban monk and international Bhakti teacher and speaker Devamrita Swami will strip bare the facts with a dose of cooling yoga wisdom to combat the heat!

Travelling the globe for 50 years, visiting every habitable continent to share and teach the wisdom of higher-happiness principles and practice, Devamrita Swami describes himself in one interview as “a talent scout”: “I’m looking for persons who want to go beyond the hum-drum. [..] To go deep within and uncover what is real happiness, beyond the body and mind”.

Listen to a recent interview with Devamrita Swami here: https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/melbourneweekends/devamrita-swami/10933982

Don’t miss this special and exciting opportunity to cross paths with a monk! We hope to see you there!

Book now on our website. $10 includes talk and dinner and dessert.

See you there!

Do you love your body? Should you love your body? Whose body do you love? Has society been hit with a dose of body fever?

Maddened by the waves of body consciousness, the fever is rising. Urban monk and international Bhakti teacher and speaker Devamrita Swami will strip bare the facts with a dose of cooling yoga wisdom to combat the heat!

Travelling the globe for 50 years, visiting every habitable continent to share and teach the wisdom of higher-happiness principles and practice, Devamrita Swami describes himself in one interview as “a talent scout”: “I’m looking for persons who want to go beyond the hum-drum. [..] To go deep within and uncover what is real happiness, beyond the body and mind”.

Listen to a recent interview with Devamrita Swami here: https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/melbourneweekends/devamrita-swami/10933982

Don’t miss this special and exciting opportunity to cross paths with a monk! We hope to see you there!

Book now on our website. $10 includes talk and dinner and dessert.

See you there!

Do you love your body? Should you love your body? Whose body do you love? Has society been hit with a dose of body fever?

Maddened by the waves of body consciousness, the fever is rising. Urban monk and international Bhakti teacher and speaker Devamrita Swami will strip bare the facts with a dose of cooling yoga wisdom to combat the heat!

Travelling the globe for 50 years, visiting every habitable continent to share and teach the wisdom of higher-happiness principles and practice, Devamrita Swami describes himself in one interview as “a talent scout”: “I’m looking for persons who want to go beyond the hum-drum. [..] To go deep within and uncover what is real happiness, beyond the body and mind”.

Listen to a recent interview with Devamrita Swami here: https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/melbourneweekends/devamrita-swami/10933982

Don’t miss this special and exciting opportunity to cross paths with a monk! We hope to see you there!

Book now on our website. $10 includes talk and dinner and dessert.

See you there!

KOFTA BALLS! GOVINDAS ON THE MOVE.
Tom Adams: New Govardhana resident Krsna Gana is well-known for his enthusiasm for prasadam distribution. Ten years ago, he began catering for Govindas and since then has been traveling all over Australia successfully serving prasadam, especially kofta balls. Indeed, in his own words, “everywhere we go, everyone loves kofta balls”.

Meet HG Prabhupada dasa and his wife, HG Rajni devi dasi.
Prabhupada dasa and his wife, Rajni devi dasi, moved to London in the early 1960s to study: Rajni in Education and Prabhupada dasa to do Law. They first came in contact with Srila Prabhupada in 1969.

GRAND OPENING!
Padmalochan dasa: A second Govindas Restaurant, located at 72 Griffith Street, Coolangatta, opened on 16 May with fanfare. With seating for 70, including outdoor dining, the restaurant will be managed by Nitai Chandra dasa with the help of his brother Rupa Durr.

Australian Conference: New Govardhana
New Govardhana has mastered the art of hosting volunteers. Its “Krishna Village” hosts over thirty “WWOOFers” at a time, functions as a department of the farm, offers training in Yoga and other subjects and generates over a million dollars every year. The farm has also just opened a new state-of-the-art Goshala and operates a first-class cow protection project, with retired animals, oxen training and milking cows departments. Animals are loved, healthy and happy.
Partnering with the Ministry, New Govardhana will host the first Australian Farm Conference from November 15th to 17th, which will offer training on building an ecovillage, holistic management for pasture lands, and syntropic farming.

Harinama in Rome, Italy (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: “Although Kali-yuga is full of faults, there is still one good quality about this age. It is that simply by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 12.3.51 Purport)

Podcast

The post How can we be humble without appearing weak? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 8 March 2019, Durban, South Africa, Kendra nama-hatta)

The Lord is one without a second. He is inconceivable and He takes unlimited forms. Of all these forms, the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is particularly extraordinary because in this form he is the maha vadanyaya avatar, the most merciful incarnation.

He appeared in the land of Gauda, specifically in the land of Navadvipa Mandala, being in Sri Dhama Mayapur, particularly in the Yoga-Pitha, in Antardvipa, in the central island of the 9 islands of Navadvipa. The Lord appeared under a neem tree at the time of a lunar eclipse when Rahu was attacking the moon. It is considered to be an inauspicious time, therefore everyone, in order to counteract this inauspicious time, entered into holy waters.

The Ganga was filled with people, and all these people were chanting the holy names of the Lord. And so Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared at a time which was apparently inauspicious in terms of the lunar eclipse, but that inauspiciousness became completely auspicious when there was the congregational chanting of the holy name. Suddenly everything was transformed and the spiritual world manifested in this world. Everyone was touched by the transcendental influence and became completely blissful. And so this is how it is said that the Lord appeared in Sri Dhama Mayapur.

The article " An auspicious appearance " was published on KKSBlog.

New Zealand Annual General Meetings (Album of photos)
Ramai Swami: Devamrta Maharaja and I flew from the AGM in Australia to attend the AGM in New Zealand, which was held at New Varshana in Auckland.
It’s always a pleasure visiting New Varshana because of the beautiful deities and temple and because we have 100 acres of rural style living, but we’re only 25 minutes from downtown.
The meeting was held at the school and the leaders discussed relevant issues and challenges facing ISKCON. As always, the kirtan, association and prasadam was blissful.
Find them here: https://is.gd/Wu8sBK